Reigning champion LIU Jia in full swing

Reigning champion LIU Jia of Austria booked her place in the semi final of the In the quarterfinal of the 2015 NN Table Tennis Club ITTF – Europe Top 16 in Baku. She will meet Dutch LI Jiao whilst in all-German semis Petrissa SOLJA will play against Ire

Reigning champion LIU Jia of Austria booked her place in the semi final of the In the quarterfinal of the 2015 NN Table Tennis Club ITTF – Europe Top 16 in Baku. She will meet Dutch LI Jiao whilst in all-German semis Petrissa SOLJA will play against Irene IVANCAN.
Four times winner of the Europe Top 12 last time in Liege 2011 LI Jiao booked the place in another semi final. Dutch player overcame Hungary’s Georgina POTA.

“Last time when we played against each other I lost so I am very happy with my victory and performance here. The most difficult part was to control the game and to try to slow it down as much as possible. In fast exchanges of the strokes POTA has advantage ” explained LI.

LI is very much focused on her coaching career as well as to biggest tournaments. “I do not play so much now. I am coaching Dutch men’s team. They are very young and talented. I am playing only at the biggest tournaments. One of the goals is to qualify for the Olympic Games in Rio ” announced LI.

Petrissa SOLJA of Germany already repeated last year’s success. She booked another semi final. In the quarters she beat HU Melek despite huge support from the crowd in Baku.“In last two occasions I lost against HU. She defeated me at the European Championships and at the Women’s World Cup. I always play hard against her. We always stretched each other to full distance; I easily lost the games and easily win at the end it all come to the service and receive game. “

What made the difference this time? “I was so happy after my victory over LI Jie this morning in the ultimate match of the Group phase. It gave confidence and motivation. I was in very good mood much better then yesterday.”

Irene IVANCAN overcame WU Jiaduo on her way to the great success at the top 16. “I am extremely happy. I was ready for he long and close match and I could not even imagine it will be over in straight games. WU is so difficult to play against. Even when I was 3:0 up I was not safe. At 7:3 she won very good point and I was afraid she would come back. On other player’s face you can see when they are down or ready to quit but she never quits and you cannot read anything on her face. At 7:4 I managed to slow down the game and to halt her comeback.”

Irene hopes for support in Baku. The member of Fenerbahche already attract attention in the hall and after departure of IMANOVA and HU Melek local supporters will certainly turn on to Turkish club’s player. “I was so disappointed lately. I suffered by the hands of very young Japan’s and German players. The victory over VACENOVSKA and PARTYKA gave a little burst of confidence. It helped me today.”

LIU Jia was forced to go full distance. After the match against Kristin SILBEREISEN she was not very happy despite the victory. “The match was very hard. I do not know how to play against Kristin. I do not know the right tactics. I am not even sure how I won this match. It was extremely difficult. Now I need to get some rest and to sleep. I hope tomorrow I will be better”.

Related News

Finlandia Open 2024 – U21 Titles Clinched by VAN DESSEL and Jeanne ROBBES

The first champions of the 2024 Finlandia Open table tennis tournament were crowned on Friday evening. In the U21 Men’s category, Mael VAN DESSEL of Luxembourg triumphed over Norway’s Alexander...

Read more

Moldova Hosts Successful Seminar on Training Young Table Tennis Talents

As part of the European Table Tennis Union’s (ETTU) National Association Assistance Program (NAAP), a practical-methodical seminar titled “The Process of Training Young Players – The Road to the Olympics”...

Read more

2025 Champions League Final 4 Saarbrücken: Book the tickets now

This year, 4,500 spectators in Saarlandhalle Saarbrücken contributed to the resounding success of the first-ever Champions League Final 4. The event returns next year, promising another thrilling experience for players...

Read more

33rd Finlandia Open – Everything You Need to Know

The traditional Finlandia Open returns this year, welcoming over 160 players from 27 countries to the enchanting home of Father Christmas. Hosted at the Kisakallio Sports Institute, just an hour’s...

Read more

Contact

About Us

Privacy Policy

Terms and Conditions

The European Table Tennis Union (ETTU) is the governing body of the sport of table tennis in Europe, and is the only authority recognized for this purpose by the International Table Tennis Federation. The ETTU deals with all matters relating to table tennis at a European level, including the development and promotion of the sport in the territories controlled by its 58 member associations, and the organization of continental table tennis competitions, including the European Championships.

Powered By

All Competitions

Senior Competitions

Club Competitions

Youth Competitions

More Competitions